2012 Dnipropetrovsk explosions

Last updated

2012 Dnipropetrovsk Explosions
LocationFour tram stations in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine
Date27 April 2012 between 11:50 and 13:00 (EET)
TargetPublic transport system and users
Attack type
 IED
Deaths0
Injured26 [1] [2] –29

The 2012 Dnipropetrovsk explosions were a series of co-ordinated explosions in Dnipropetrovsk (now Dnipro), Ukraine on 27 April 2012. The bombs went off between 11:50 and 13:00 near four tram stations. [3] The attackers' motivations are not publicly known.

Contents

Background

Ukraine has not been afflicted with political terrorism, but there had been previous explosions connected to criminal extortion; in a previous attack in January 2011, two pre-dawn explosions outside an office of a coal mining company and then a shopping center in the Ukrainian city of Makiivka caused no casualties. Authorities then received letters demanding money in exchange for an end to the blasts. The perpetrators were arrested and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. [4] [5]

The Dnipropetrovsk attacks came 40 days ahead of the UEFA Euro 2012 games, hosted in Poland and Ukraine. This raised security concerns over the safety of the games, [6] [7] though no match was actually scheduled to be held in Dnipropetrovsk. [8] UEFA anyway dismissed any hypothesis of moving the championship anywhere else because of security reasons.[ citation needed ] Hryhoriy Surkis, head of the Football Federation of Ukraine declared he believed the blasts aimed "to torpedo the tournament in Ukraine at all costs and compromise our country in the eyes of the international community." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk remarked: "This issue [tournament security] needs to be treated with the utmost seriousness". [9]

Chronology of the attacks

On 27 April, beginning at around 11:50, four home-made bombs went off in different locations within Dnipropetrovsk. The first bomb went at 11:50 a.m. local time and the last bomb went off at 1:00 pm. The bombs were all placed in trashcans near four tram stations, belonging to the same line: [10]

Minutes after the explosion, panic began spreading in Dnipropetrovsk. People remained in their offices following a rumor that there were more blasts coming. Students remained at school. Several buildings were placed into "lockdown mode". [11]

Internet connections in the area went down for hours after the explosions. Telephone networks jammed up quickly, and as of 28 April, telephone companies were still struggling to restore functionality to their networks. Furthermore, Ukrainian authorities jammed the signal in certain parts of the city, in response to the theory that the bombs may have been triggered by cellphones. [12]

Victims

Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry initially reported that 27 people were injured, but authorities revised the figure to 26 the day after the explosions. Among those injured were 9 teenagers. 27 people remained in the hospital as of 28 April, including three who were in serious condition. [1]

According to security experts interviewed by Interfax , the nature of the injuries received by the victims suggests that the devices did not contain damaging elements, and the resulting injuries were probably caused by the debris of trash bins and other items. [13]

Investigations

The authorities reported that several suspects were placed under arrest. [14]

On 27 April the Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych assembled a committee to carry out an investigation of the explosions, with members including Viktor Pshonka, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine; Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine, Igor Kalinin; Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, Raisa Bohatyryova; and Serhiy Lyovochkin, Head of the Presidential Administration. [15]

The Dnipropetrovsk regional prosecutor opened a criminal case on counts of terrorism. [16] The criminal case on the grounds of an offense under Part 2 of Art. 258 of the Criminal Code (terrorist act), was transferred to the organization of pre-trial investigation in the investigative unit of the central apparatus of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). [17] In April 2012 SBU investigators sought three men on suspicion of committing a crime, whose sketch were created and published. [18] It is known that they were all men. One of them was about 30 years, another about 40, the third from 35 to 45 years. [19] In May 2012 police officers arrested four residents of Dnipropetrovsk. [20] According to Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Pshonka this arrest closed the criminal case and it had solved the crime. [21] All 4 men were also accused of organizing three terrorist attacks in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhia in October–November 2011. [20] Lev Prosvirnin and Dmytro Reva were charged with a terrorist attack committed on preliminary collusion by a group of persons. [20] Prosvirnin and Reva pleaded not guilty. [20] According to the SBU the men "did not agree with the social and political regime in Ukraine. They wanted to cause chaos and provoke protests of the public against authorities. They also insist that their goal was to frustrate the hosting of Euro 2012 in Ukraine". [22] The prosecutor's office in Dnipropetrovsk opened in March 2013 criminal proceedings because Reva had complained against falsified testimonies against him. [20] Late February 2013 the European Court of Human Rights received a complaint from lawyers for Reva against long-term groundless detention. [23] Prosvirnin and Reva were released on 11 March 2014 after the court removed their charges. [24] [25]

Reactions

In Ukraine

Government officials

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich declared "We... understand that this is another challenge to us, to the whole country. We will think how to respond accordingly. [26] Speaking in Dnipropetrovsk on 28 April, Yanukovich offered 200.000 euro to citizens able to provide the authorities with useful information on the authors of the attack. [27]

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov declared that the explosions "are profitable to those forces that are interested in destabilizing the situation in the country.". [28]

Mykola Tomenko, deputy parliament speaker and member of the opposition, suggested the blasts were orchestrated by the government in order to quiet Western criticism of Yulia Tymoshenko's imprisonment: "I don't rule out that the authorities and law enforcement bodies may be among the organizers of a scenario, which involves deflecting the attention of the world and Ukraine form Tymoshenko's case on the whole and her beating in particular." [28] Volodymyr Yavorivsky, head of the Culture Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament and member of the opposition, accused the government parties to have staged the attack in order to jeopardize the October 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election and install an authoritarian regime. [29]

Experts and analysts

According to Vadim Karasev, director of the Ukrainian Institute of Global Strategies, the blasts might have been prepared by the secret services in order to spread panic, fear, and confusion in Dnipropetrovsk and in Ukraine. This strategy of tension might be instrumental in limiting political activism and oppositional mobilization in Ukraine under the pretext of terrorism. [29]

Kirill Frolov, director of the Ukraine desk of the Institute for the studies of the CIS countries, supported the hypothesis of political motivation for the attack, but also condemned the cynicism of the opposition accusing the government of the attack. According to Frolov, the Yanukovich regime did not need such an event, as his political manifesto for the upcoming elections would be based on the good conduct of UEFA Euro 2012. [30]

Abroad

Matthew Rojansky, on CNN, suggested several possible motivations for the attack, ranging from random acts of violence, or the work of gangs from Ukraine's criminal underworld and endlessly feuding oligarchs, to international terrorism linked to al-Qa'eda, up to the eventual involvement of Russian secret services. [8]

See also

Sources

  1. 1 2 "Bomb blasts injure 26 people in eastern Ukraine". BNO News. 28 April 2012. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Belarus is ready to help Ukraine to investigate the terrorist actions". Ukrayinska Pravda. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Ukraine Explosions: Three Blasts Reported
  4. ↑ "Opposition suggests government were behind Ukraine bomb attacks in" . The Independent. 27 April 2012. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022.
  5. ↑ Appeals court upholds sentence for 'Makiyivka terrorists', Kyiv Post (30 December 2011)
  6. ↑ Parry, Tom (27 April 2012). "Euro 2012 fans' fear as bombs rock Ukraine city". mirror.
  7. ↑ Ukraine Bomb Blasts Scores Injured, guardian.co.uk, 27 April 2012
  8. 1 2 "What's behind the bombings in Ukraine?".
  9. ↑ "AFP-Yahoo". Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  10. ↑ Emergency Message for US Citizens, osac.gov
  11. ↑ Ukraine city Dnip-vsk hit by blasts, bbc.co.uk
  12. ↑ "FOCUS Information Agency". FOCUS Information Agency.
  13. ↑ Вибухи в Дніпропетровську повинні були налякати, а не пошкодити? Українська правда (in Ukrainian)
  14. ↑ Four bomb blasts hit Eastern Ukraine ahead of Euro 2012 Matches, nationalpost.com, 27 April 2012
  15. ↑ В Днепропетровске состоялось заседание штаба по расследованию взрывов (in Russian). elvisti.com . Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  16. ↑ "Dnipropetrovsk bombings qualified as terror attacks – Apr. 27, 2012". KyivPost. 27 April 2012.
  17. ↑ Кримінальну справу передано до СБУ (in Ukrainian). Генеральна прокуратура України. Офіційний інтернет-портал. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  18. ↑ УВАГА РОЗШУК! (in Ukrainian). Служба безпеки України. Офіційний інтернет-портал. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  19. ↑ Составлены фотороботы трех подозреваемых во взрывах в Днепропетровске (in Russian). БелТА. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 One of 'Dnipropetrovsk terrorists' pled victim in case on falsified testimonies against him, Interfax-Ukraine (27 March 2013)
  21. ↑ Pshonka: Case on Dnipropetrovsk blasts solved, mercenary motives were found, Kyiv Post (1 June 2012)
  22. ↑ Dnipropetrovsk bombers wanted to frustrate Euro 2012 in Ukraine, says SBU, Kyiv Post (20 October 2012)
  23. ↑ Lawyers for defendant in 'Dnipropetrovsk terrorists' case file complaint at ECHR against unlawful detention, Interfax-Ukraine (27 February 2013)
  24. ↑ "Men falsely charged with terrorism released after two years in jail – Mar. 13, 2014". KyivPost. 13 March 2014.
  25. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ↑ "Yanukovych: Dnipropetrovsk blasts are 'challenge' for the country – Apr. 27, 2012". KyivPost. 27 April 2012.
  27. ↑ Euronews
  28. 1 2 Huffington Post
  29. 1 2 East Journal, 29 April 2012 (in Italian)
  30. ↑ La Voce della Russia, 29 April 2012 (in Italian)

Related Research Articles

Security Service of Ukraine Security agency in Ukraine

The Security Service of Ukraine or SBU is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian government, in the areas of counter-intelligence activity and combating terrorism. The SBU also operates its own special forces unit, the Alpha Group.

Terrorism in India Overview of terrorism in India

Terrorism in India, according to the Home Ministry, poses a significant threat to the people of India. Compared to other countries, India faces a wide range of terror groups. Terrorism found in India includes Islamic terrorism, Separatist terrorism, and Left wing terrorism India is one of the countries most impacted by terrorism.

The 2002 Soweto Bombings were a string of terrorist attacks that occurred in Soweto in South Africa's Gauteng province. Eight blasts took place on 30 October 2002, leaving one woman dead and her husband severely injured. One of the blasts severely damaged a mosque, while others targeted railways and petrol stations in the area. Police prevented one blast. Another bomb later detonated outside the Nan Hua Buddhist temple in Bronkhorstspruit, east of Pretoria. A white supremacist group, the Warriors of the Boer Nation, claimed responsibility for these explosions in a message sent to an Afrikaans newspaper.

Terrorism in Russia has a long history starting from the time of the Russian Empire. Terrorism, in the modern sense, means violence against civilians to achieve political or ideological objectives by creating extreme fear.

2010 Moscow Metro bombings 2010 terrorist attack by Islamist militants in Moscow

The 2010 Moscow Metro bombings were suicide bombings carried out by two Islamic female terrorists during the morning rush hour of March 29, 2010, at two stations of the Moscow Metro, with roughly 40 minutes in between. At least 40 people were killed, and over 100 injured.

Viktor Pshonka

Viktor Pavlovych Pshonka is a former Prosecutor General of Ukraine, State Counselor of Justice of Ukraine and member of the High Council of Justice of Ukraine. He holds a Doctor of Laws degree, and is a member of the International Association of Prosecutors.

The CID building attack was a gun, grenade and truck bomb attack in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan on 11 November 2010. Initial reports indicated the building housing Pakistan's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had been badly damaged and a blast crater of 5 metres was discovered in close proximity. At least 18 people were killed and 100 injured, though casualty figures were expected to rise. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack through Azam Tariq, their spokesman. However, the involvement of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was also contested with interior minister Rehman Malik appearing sure of the possibility.

The 9 September 2012 Iraq attacks were a series of coordinated bombings and shootings across the capital Baghdad and several major cities in the north and south of the country. At least 108 people were killed and 371 injured in the first major insurgent action since a similar wave of violence almost a month earlier.

December 2013 Mansoura bombing

The December 2013 Mansoura bombing occurred on the morning of Tuesday, 24 December 2013 in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura in Egypt. The target was the city's security directorate building that was partially collapsed after the attack. At least 16 people were killed, mostly policemen, while more than a hundred were injured, according to the Ministry of Interior. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but Prime Minister Hazem Al Beblawi, on behalf of the interim government, was quick to blame the Muslim Brotherhood of being behind the attack, labeling it a "terrorist organization" for the first time since the ouster of Mohamed Morsi on 3 July earlier this year. Egyptian authorities also stated that the militants received logistical support from Hamas. Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, an Al-Qaeda-linked group in the Sinai Peninsula, released an online statement claiming responsibility for the blast but the government sounded determined that the Muslim Brotherhood was behind it and intensified its crackdown on the organization. The incident is now widely believed by many to be a turning point in the nation's history as the future of both the Islamists and Egypt's stability remain shadowed and unclear with several violent clashes and other bombings taking place across the country following its ban.

The Vasylkiv terrorists case is an alleged terror plot of three far-right activists trying to blow up a statue of Lenin in the Ukrainian city Boryspil in August 2011. The statue was removed in June 2011. The three suspects were arrested on 22 August 2011.

Revolution of Dignity Political and social upheaval in Ukraine in 2014

The Revolution of Dignity or Ukranian Coup d' Etat took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and the security forces in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv culminated in the ousting of elected President Viktor Yanukovych and the overthrow of the Ukrainian government.

2014 Santiago subway bombing

On 8 September 2014, a fire extinguisher bomb exploded in the Escuela Militar metro station in Santiago, Chile, injuring 14 people, several seriously. Though no group or individual has claimed responsibility, the attacks have been attributed to the Chilean Anarchist group, Conspiracy of Cells of Fire.

2015 Kharkiv bombing Bombing in Ukraine

The 2015 Kharkiv bombing occurred on 22 February 2015, when a bomb hit a Ukrainian national unity rally in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast. The blast killed at least three people and injured another 10, including a boy age 15 and a policeman. On 25 February the death toll rose to four. It was one of many bombings in the cities of the Kharkiv oblast and Odessa oblast.

2017 Saint Petersburg Metro bombing 2017 terrorist attack by the Islamist militant group ISIL in Saint Petersburg, Russia

On 3 April 2017, a terrorist attack using an explosive device took place on the Saint Petersburg Metro between Sennaya Ploshchad and Tekhnologichesky Institut stations. Seven people were initially reported to have died, and eight more died later from their injuries, bringing the total to 15.

Maksym Shapoval

Maksym Mykhaylovych Shapoval was a senior officer (Colonel) in the Ukrainian military and head of the special forces of the Chief Intelligence Directorate. Col. Shapoval had only recently returned from the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, and on 27 June 2017, he was assassinated in a car bomb attack in central Kyiv. At the time of his death, Shapoval was investigating Russian involvement in Eastern Ukraine. He collected intel on their locations and weapons, which was able to substantiate Ukraine's position in the war criminal trial in The Hague on Russia's armed aggression. At the time, he was one of the most senior Ukrainian officials killed in action.

On 7 August 2017, a truck bombing occurred at Band Road in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Two people were killed and 35 others were wounded. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan is suspected to have perpetrated the attack.

Explosions in Ukraine during Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine are terrorist and sabotage acts that took place during Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine in the Ukrainian-controlled territory of Ukraine. The explosions were aimed at intimidating the population, obstructing the volunteer movement in Ukraine and disabling equipment and ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Several explosions have been reported since the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in Western Russia, primarily in the Bryansk and Belgorod oblasts. Russia has asserted the explosions were caused by Ukrainian airstrikes, but Ukraine has denied this.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.